Thieves stole five air conditioning units and took the copper parts out of three more at Stanley Middle School in Lafayette, according to police and school officials.

The theft was discovered by the school’s maintenance crew Monday morning, and likely took place over the weekend, said Lafayette Superintendent Frank Tom. The units were enclosed in a locked cage, but someone broke in.

Generations in Jazz workshops that were scheduled for the affected classrooms were moved to rooms that still had air conditioning, Tom said.

The cost to repair the three damaged units and replace the five stolen ones will range between $15,000 and $30,000, depending on how difficult it is to get parts, he said.

Thefts of copper are on the rise, thanks to an increase in the price of copper.

In Moraga, police found on Friday that someone had cut underground power cables at Campolindo High School in an attempt to steal the copper. The attempt was unsuccessful, but damages were estimated at $600. There were at least two suspects, who drove on campus in a silver Chevrolet Silverado, according to police reports.

The Sun wrote a story in June about the rise in copper thefts across the state, which you can read here.

Anyone with information on the Stanley thefts can call Lafayette Police at 925-283-3680.